Detroit Lions Calvin Johnson dunks the ball over the goal post after his third quarter touchdown against the Green Bay Packers in their football game in Detroit on Thursday, November 28, 2013.(Photo: Julian H. Gonzalez, Julian H. Gonzalez)

MINNEAPOLIS — For one reason or another, wide receivers have historically had a long wait to get into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Cris Carter needed six tries before he was elected in 2013. Michael Irvin got in as a third-year eligible candidate in 2007. And on Saturday, my colleagues and I that vote for the Hall finally righted a two-year wrong and gave Terrell Owens passage into Canton.

Owens was deserving of election, and has been since he first appeared on the ballot in 2016.

He's second in NFL history in receiving yards, third in receiving touchdowns, and he had one of the most dominant performances in Super Bowl history when he caught nine passes for 122 yards on a broken leg.

Full disclosure: As the Hall's Detroit representative, I will be tasked with presenting Johnson when he appears on the ballot in three years, and I think he's a no-brainer of a candidate in a class that will also include Peyton Manning and Charles Woodson.

(Photo: The Associated Press)

Johnson doesn't have the career numbers that Owens and Moss do, nor should he considering he played just nine NFL seasons (to 16 for Owens and 14 for Moss).

But he was the same sort of iconic player that helped define the wide receiver position to a generation of fans, and he did so without the drama of Owens or Moss. He worked hard. He terrorized defensive backs. And as the NFL's best wide receiver for a stretch of his career, he more than passes the eye test.

But having been in the room discussing candidates for four years now, I can say that's not always enough.

Voters have different criteria they use to whittle down the list of 15 candidates to 10 and then five, though most everyone agrees that just about all who make the final 15 are deserving of election one day.

The Owens debate has long centered around his antics in the locker room, and what role he played in dragging down (or holding back) some of the teams he played on. Moss faced similar questions this year, though not quite to the same degree.

But with both now in the Hall of Fame, it lessens the logjam at wide receiver, and perhaps the wait time for a player like Johnson.

Isaac Bruce was the other finalist at the receiver position this year, and he's certainly a worthy candidate. Bruce ranks fifth all-time in receiving yards and he has a Super Bowl ring to his credit.

Other receivers like Torry Holt and Hines Ward made the semifinal cut to 25 this year, and Reggie Wayne will come under consideration in 2020. All have more receiving yards than Johnson, though none was the same sort of dominant player.

(Photo: The Associated Press)

Bruce won't have an easy path to Canton the next few years, with first-time eligible players like Tony Gonzalez, Ed Reed and Troy Polamalu coming up for election. But given the history of voters, he should get in.

If that happens, that could open the door to Johnson joining Jerry Rice, Steve Largent and now Moss as the only modern-era wide receivers to get in the Hall in their first year on the ballot.

Having covered Johnson for eight of his nine seasons, I firmly believe he's worthy of that honor.

And now that Owens and Moss are on their way to Canton, there's good reason for it to happen.